Why Jacob Zuma being barred from S Africa election won’t derail his support
Al Jazeera
Constitutional Court said ex-president is ‘not eligible’ to run for parliament over 2021 contempt of court conviction.
Johannesburg, South Africa – After weeks of legal disputes and rulings from the country’s electoral commission and court, South Africa’s highest court on Monday barred controversial former President Jacob Zuma from becoming a member of parliament.
The Constitutional Court’s decision brings finality to the matter, however, experts have said it will not hamper Zuma’s political life, as the former leader is still the face of his party, which is enough to attract support from potential voters.
Zuma, who now leads the new uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party after a political fallout with the governing African National Congress (ANC), has been a thorn in the side of his former party before the general elections next week.
The 82-year-old former statesman had his eyes set on returning to Parliament and becoming president again on a ticket of the MK after he fell out with his successor, current President Cyril Ramaphosa.
But Zuma’s 15-month jail sentence for contempt of court in 2021 has been a roadblock for him and an Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) decision disqualified him from holding a seat in parliament.
